The Beagle

I noticed that, too frequently, I pick a BlackboardEats coupon for a restaurant that I want to try, but it expires before I get around to using it.  So recently I went through my BlackboardEats reminder email and made a few reservations to use the vouchers.  The first spot to cross off of my BlackboardEats reminder email, the Beagle.

The restaurant, located in Alphabet City, is somewhat typical for the neighborhood in ambiance, size and décor: hipster, small, and crowded.  The menu, however, is anything but typical.  Most of the dishes on the menu consist of a bizarre combination of ingredients, which sometimes works (like the burrata and braised celery pairing board) and sometimes doesn’t (like the striped bass with sauerkraut).

The service all-star at the Beagle was our busboy.  He was generous with his smiles and water pouring.  Our server, while cheery, dropped the ball on a few of the items (jalapenos appeared in my frito pie even though I requested their absence and one of the steaks did not match the shade of red requested).

I don’t know how I feel about this restaurant, which isn’t surprising because of the confusing combination of ingredients.  The best way I can some up the Beagle is that the menu (cocktail list included) was definitely different, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

What to eat:

For the table, we ordered the Burrata Pairing Board, which came with braised celery and a shot of gin.  Ask for bread if you order this dish.  The creamy burrata was heavenly and the tender seasoned celery was a surprisingly fantastic compliment.  I would recommend layering the burrata and celery on a piece of bread so that your taste buds can enjoy the different textures and flavors at the same time.

I’m of the belief that you should probably order (almost) anything on a menu with the word "pie" in it.  So I started the night with the Frito Pie, a bowl filled with meat chili, shredded cheese and Frito chips.  While the shredded cheese needed to be more melted, this salty treat (which could be a close cousin to nachos) was still a very tasty appetizer.

For my entree, I ordered the Striped Bass, which came with rock shrimp (delicious!) and saucy sauerkraut (disgusting!).  The sauce smothering the sauerkraut was all wrong.  Luckily, the seafood on the plate, which was fresh and flavorful, was not contaminated by the unappetizing sauce.  The bass was light and perfectly cooked.  When I was ordering this dish, I was debating whether to ask for a substitute for the sauerkraut.  Sadly, I failed to execute my mantra (no, not dessert makes everything better): always trust your gut.  I paid the price readers, but you don’t have to.  If you order this, I would recommend speaking up and asking if they could substitute the saucy sauerkraut for anything else (like the frito pie, just kidding, kind of).  If they say they will not give you something else, either order it and accept the consequences or order a different entree.

Our table also ordered the Flat Iron Steak.  While the meat was tender, the sauce was similarly off (not as bad as the sauerkraut sauce but still a miss).  The mustard kale sauce just didn’t go well with the steak.  I overheard our dining neighbors discussing their lamb and pork entrees.  I would probably go that route for entrees if I returned to the Beagle.

Sticking to the pie theme of the night, we ordered the pistachio and chocolate pie for dessert.  I liked the combination of gooey chocolate with the crunchy pistachios.  And the creamy cardamom infused yogurt on the side was a nice contrast to the dark, rich chocolate.

The surprise hit dessert of the night was the Burnt Orange Cream Tart (good call Chrystal!).  The orange flavor was present without being overwhelming and the creamy texture was surprisingly light.  The only thing about this tasty treat that didn’t work was the crust, which was too hard. 

In the mood for a bizarre combination of ingredients? I found your spot,

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